


Until Dawn, MCYT edition

by Anonymous



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Animal Death, Bittersweet Ending, Dream is a bit of an ass at the start, Fear, Fire, Gen, George I am so sorry, Gore, Horror, I hated having to tag their actual names, I have no idea how to tag, I will forever be mad at AO3 for making Bad and Skeppy's tags their irl names, Implied Sexual Content, Karl and Sapnap don't start off together, Lime, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mental Breakdown, Mental Illness, Other, Paranormal, Physical Torture, Psychological Horror, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Sam is here but only for a little, Skeppy's a bitch but I love him, Slow Burn, Snow, Techno's a wendigo, The Supernatural, Trauma, Until Dawn (Video Game) Spoilers, Until Dawn AU, Wendigo, anyways onto the real tags, kinda???, mountain, no real names used, seriously, this is not for the faint of heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:47:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29497509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: It's been a year since the disappearance of twins Techno and Wilbur MinecraftTo celebrate their memory, their older brother Schlatt has invited his friends back to the lodge for the annual winter getawayEverything is going awesome at first (despite a couple petty arguments) until things start to get weird.It escalates until each choice is the difference between life or deathWill they be able to survive until the rescue comes at dawn, or will they tragically fall victim to the forces of the mountain
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Jschlatt, Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Zak Ahmed/Clay | Dream - past, Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch, there's too many people to tag
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This fic will contain heavy spoilers for Until Dawn  
> It will follow my playthrough of the game and the only differences are the character names and dialogue. The story is the same, just with MCYT  
> Credit to the creators of Until Dawn
> 
> Before I start, this story will contain heavy spoilers for Until Dawn 
> 
> A few warnings 
> 
> TWs:
> 
> Gore, major character death, horror, psychological horror, torture, animal death 
> 
> CWs:
> 
> Gay, spoilers, swearing, sexual content (a lime and consistent suggestive conversations), paranormal, the supernatural, underage drinking, alcohol 
> 
> Disclaimer:
> 
> I don’t ship Techno and Dream. I don’t ship Techno with anyone as he is uncomfortable with shipping. But if you know the story of Until Dawn, then you know how the prologue goes and what happens. 
> 
> Each character will correspond to one from the original game  
> You should be able to figure it out, but I'll give the list anyways
> 
> Hannah: Techno  
> Beth: Wilbur  
> Josh: Schlatt  
> Chris: Sapnap  
> Ashley: Karl  
> Emily: Skeppy  
> Matt: BBH  
> Jess: George  
> Mike: Dream  
> Sam: Quackity 
> 
> This is a story I strangely find comfort in writing and I really hope you enjoy it too
> 
> (the start of this is a little clunky due to not knowing how to alter the Hannah/Mike interaction in the start to not be romantic/sexual  
> I apologize for that)

The snow was coming down in sheets, blanketing the floor and swirling in the strong wind. The air hung heavy for Wilbur as he stared out the window, something wasn’t right at all.

If only he had listened to that feeling. 

-

Upstairs, the group was gathered in Dream’s room, going over their plan one last time. 

“I don’t know about this guys,” Quackity said, unsure. “I’m all for a good prank, but this is going a little far.”

“Ah come on Q,” Skeppy said, slinging his arm around the other. “Techno can take it, he loves trolls.” 

“Yeah, it’s just a bit of blackmail,” George added, waving a note in his hand before skipping out of the room. 

Quackity chewed on his lip a little. 

The plan was to trick Techno into coming upstairs and embarrassing him, to make him show emotions he never did. Maybe knock him down a peg. 

Dream wrote a note to him on request and would be the one to get him talking. The rest of the group would be hiding and filming. 

None of this seemed right to him. 

“Bad, why are you even going along with this?” He asked, raising his voice as he turned to the boy. 

Bad shuffled his feet, clearly feeling a little guilty about the prank. 

“I-“

“Leave him alone and just go somewhere else if you’re not gonna participate,” Skeppy interrupted, stepping between the two. 

Quackity threw his arms down and groaned. 

“Fuck you guys.”

With that, he stopped out of the room and down the stairs, passing George on his way out. 

He went to a room as far from the others as possible and called for his friend, a futile attempt at a distraction 

-

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, the group was nearly giving away the joke through their anticipating giggles. 

Dream stood in the middle of the room, ready to play his part. 

Karl slipped behind a changing screen, while Skeppy and George wiggled their way under the bed, camera in hand. 

Bad shut himself in the closet, starting to wish he’d gone along with Quackity. 

“Shhhh, he’s almost here!” Skeppy whisper yelled, gesturing for George to start recording as the door creaked open. 

-

Just as he started to lose himself in the hypnotic fall of the snow, something caught his eye. 

A movement. 

Wil pushed himself away from the window, a chill going down his spine. 

“Hey Schlatt, dad said it’s just us, right?” 

No response. 

Wilbur rolled his eyes. 

Of course Schlatt had to get piss drunk with Sapnap on the night there’s probably someone lurking outside. 

With a turn to look at them, his suspicions were confirmed. 

Schlatt was facedown on the counter, a bottle not far from his hand. Sapnap was next to him in a similar state. 

Moving closer to give his brother a shake, a piece of paper caught his eye. 

_ This wasn’t here earlier _

Wil flipped it over and scanned the page. 

“ _ Hey Techno  _

_ Wanna come upstairs, there’s something I have to tell you. _

_ -Dream _ ”

Wil groaned as he put the letter down. What in the world were they doing? 

For as smart as he was, Techno could be an absolute dumbass. 

He gave his brother a shake on the shoulder before picking up the bottle. 

“Damn, you broke out the fancy shit…”

-

Dream took a seat on the bed, patting next to him. 

“Take a seat?”

Techno shrugged and joined the other. 

“What’d you need?”

Dream shuffled his feet and leaned over, throwing an arm around his friend. 

“Oh nothing much, just that you look super hot.”

Techno’s eyes widened and he leaned away. 

“Well, uh, I’m flattered, but-“

Dream pushed forwards. 

“Come on, you’re super hot, I’m super hot, we could be the hottest couple.” 

“But what about Sk-“

“Forget Skeppy,” the blond interrupted. “I’d drop him in a heartbeat for you.”

_ I’m good at this acting thing  _

Techno seemed frozen in place. Social interactions weren’t his strong suit. He started tripping over his words. 

“Uhh-“

He was unable to hold it back anymore, from under the bed, Skeppy started giggling. This was too good. 

Techno’s face when pale. This was a success in Skeppy’s eyes. 

He rolled out from under the bed, motioning for the others to come out of hiding too. 

“Wh- all of you?” Techno asked, his voice raising an octave uncharacteristically. 

He turned around and swung the door open, shoving past Quackity as he stormed out of the room. 

“Tech- wait!” 

He didn’t stop. 

Quackity turned to the others. 

“Seriously, fuck you all.”

-

A crash made Wilbur lift his head from the bottle, nearly dropping it as he did. 

_ What the fuck _

“Schlatt, get up now.” 

Wil shook him frantically but the most he got was a groan. 

“Oh fuck, guys!” 

He pushed past the kitchen doors into the main part of the lodge, only to see the rest of the group running to the back door. 

“Techno! Come back!” Quackity yelled out into the blizzard. 

Wilbur pushed past Dream as alarm spread through his body. 

“What’s happening? Where the hell is Techno?” 

George groaned. 

“He can’t take a little joke.” 

“Hey Tech! It was just a troll!” Skeppy added, speaking loudly to the woods. 

“What did you do?” Wilbur asked, glaring at Dream. 

“Just got him a little flustered, nothing serious,” the blond shrugged. 

“You’re all assholes, that’s what. You know he hates emotions,” Wil growled before taking off into the woods. 

It’s freezing cold and there’s a lurker about. This is no situation for a person to be in, no matter how well they can handle the cold. 

_Techno has to be around_ _here somewhere_

The footprints left by his twin were starting to fade as the snow continued to fall. The wind was harsh, slamming flecks of it into Wilbur’s face and stinging his skin. 

Ignoring the stairs and taking a drop, Wil kept following what he could see until they branched off. Just as he was about to follow the prints, a branch broke down the right path. 

The lurker must be following him. 

At this point, the footprints were almost completely gone. He sprinted down the left path, completely scaring some elk that were nearby. 

Unfortunately, the snow they kicked up disturbed what little of the prints remained, meaning Wil had no more trail to follow. 

_ Fuck _

After shimming down a rock wall, Wil pulled out his phone to use as a flashlight. It was just a matter of following the path and hoping for the best at this point. 

He wandered for a bit, calling out to his twin every once in a while. 

An elk cut him off with a loud cry. Behind where it came, a burst of flames appeared and vanished. 

_ What the actual hell _

_ This is not right. This is not right. This is not right  _

Pushing past a branch, relief flooded through him. Techno stood in the center of the clearing, taking deep breaths and seemingly hugging himself. 

“Techno, thank god I found you!” Wil called, quickly clearing the distance and throwing his arms around his brother, ignoring the protests. 

“I hate them all,” the shorter whispered before briefly returning the hug and pulling away. 

“Well we can beat them up once we get back to the lodge.”

Wil grabbed ahold of Techno’s hand so he wouldn’t lose him (more for himself than Techno)

Before they could even take a step back down the path, the elk screamed again. Although it sounded off, more shrill. 

“Wil, what is that?” Techno asked, his voice not revealing his worry. 

“I have no idea.”

Techno pulled on his brother’s hand. 

“Run.”

With that, both started sprinting, only looking back to check if the other was there. 

An old wooden structure was on the path. Wil ran through and stood for a moment, waiting for his twin to catch up. 

The minute Techno’s foot met the board, it snapped under his weight, sending the teen to the ground and knocking his phone from his pocket. 

Wilbur dragged him through and back to his feet. 

“Don’t stop. Don’t stop at all.”

This plan failed as the path ended, a cliff appearing in front of them. 

“Tech-“ Wilbur whispered, his voice wavering. 

He grabbed his brother’s hand again, squeezing it as tightly as he could. 

Techno put Wil behind him, ready to fight whatever came out of those woods. 

“Tech, Techno what the fuck is that?” 

_ Fuck fuck fuck shit fuck go away _

Wilbur closed his eyes and leaned closer to Techno. Unfortunately, the older was backing up.

The ground gave out and suddenly they were falling. 

Wilbur reached up and miraculously, caught ahold of a root. 

He clung on for his life, Techno dangling from his other hand. 

“Hold on, just hold on!”

He could barely see through his watery vision and the snow that had started gathering on his glasses. Only the fog below them was clear. 

Heat suddenly blasted through the cold, followed by a burst of fire and another shrill cry. 

A face appeared above them, holding out a hand for them. 

Wilbur tried to lift Techno up, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t strong enough. Despite this, he tightened his grip on his brother’s wrist. 

He looked down, only able to see the faint outline of a pink blob through the caking snow. 

“Let go,” was all he heard before Techno loosened his grip. Wil could hear his scream as the weight dropped from his arm. 

His eyes spilled over as he reached up towards the hand. 

It wasn’t enough. 

Wilbur felt his arm give out as the root dislodged. 

And then he was falling. 

His back slammed on a rock, snapping his bones and removing all feeling from his body. 

_ I’m gonna die  _

Each time he hit a rock was painless, yet it made him feel weaker. By the time he reached the bottom of the fall, his glasses were gone and he could see in blurs. 

But this didn’t last long. 

He could feel the life leaving him, his already messed up vision going dark around the edges. 

With one last motion, he reached out for Techno to feel for a pulse, but there wasn’t one. 

It was then than he let his head fall down, and no longer did he breathe. 


	2. Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going back to the lodge is gonna be weird for everyone  
> The memories of last time still haunt the place
> 
> Yet they all returned despite the feelings of sorrow and regret that follow them, eager to create new and happy memories and to honour their missing friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!!
> 
> So, before the chapter starts, a lot of the dialogue in this story will be taken directly from or paraphrased from the original game  
> Credit where it is due, thank you creators of Until Dawn
> 
> With that being said, this story is based around my own playthrough and the decisions that I made as I played  
> I really hope you like it!!!

The radio was scratchy but the audio still came through. The announcer was speaking to a woman. 

Quackity tapped the volume button a few times before resting his chin on his hand as he stared out the window of the bus. 

_ “Today is the one year anniversary of the dreadful tragedy that took place on Mount Washington... _

_ Sheriff Cara Puffy who was assigned to the case” _

_ “Thanks for having me H” _

_ “Listeners an update on Techno and Wilbur Minecraft, the twins who are still missing.” _

_ “One year ago tonight the Minecraft boys left the safety of their parents' lodge and headed out into a snow storm.” _

_ “Foul play?” _

_ “Not officially, no. There is one individual we're considering as a person of interest but his whereabouts are currently unknown. _

_ He has an interesting history with the Minecraft family _

_ He had warned them against pursuing their construction project and claimed the land was sacred to his forefathers” _

_ “You know there is still the old Sanitorium on the mountain _

_ Could he be hiding there?” _

_ “My officers did search the grounds but the girls themselves couldn't have made it that far” _

_ “Something about that mountain seems to breed tragic events” _

_ “More than you know H” _

_ “Well thank you for joining us Cara. _

_ To all the Minecrafts tonight, their son Schlatt on this, the anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Techno and Wilbur Minecraft.” _

He looked down at the screen since this part of the news was clearly over. 

Tapping the screen, the display changed from the podcast like radio to a video of Schlatt in what looked like his living room. 

_ Schlatt held up his arms and grinned into the lens.  _

_ “Well hello friends and fans… wait shit that’s bad…” _

_ The screen adjusted to zoom closer to his face.  _

_ “Hello friends and fans! It’s beyond awesome to have us all back this year. First off, I gotta say I’m super excited to welcome all my friends back to the annual Manburg winter getaway!” _

_ His expression changed to an overzealous, open mouth smile as he held his arms out in a T.  _

_ This expression didn’t last long though, as Schlatt’s face went back to his resting expression.  _

_ “So, before we continue, I have to say this. Let’s take a moment to address the ‘elephant in the room’ for a second.” _

**Pause**

With a deep breath and some heavy self control to not click off, Quackity unpaused the video. 

_ “I know you’re all worried about me, and I know this is gonna be difficult for us as we head back after what happened.  _

_ But, I just want to say, it means so much to me that we’re doing this. And I know it would mean so much to Wil and Techno that we’re all still here and we’re all still together.  _

_ I’m still thinking of them.” _

_ He paused for a moment and ran a hand through his hair.  _

_ “I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with each of you this week, and reminisce on those good times we’ve had before. _

_ For Wil and Techno.” _

_ As quickly as it was gone, the excited expression returned to his face.  _

_ “With that being said, who’s ready to party like fucking porn stars! _

_ Let’s make this trip one we’ll never forget!” _

Quackity clicked off the video and turned on some music to fill the silence. 

Despite how strangely politician-like Schlatt was sounding, he had a feeling that this was gonna be harder on him than on any of the other boys. 

_ I mean, those are his brothers they’re talking about.  _

He looked out the window at the forest. It was already dark, but that wasn’t a surprise being that this was winter and it was nearing 9pm. 

The snow reflected what little moonlight made it through the clouds, casting a faint glow into the woods and making the fog appear almost inviting. 

As the bus began to slow down, Quackity put his phone into his bag and slung it over his shoulder haphazardly. 

He’d sent his suitcase up with Schlatt earlier that day so he didn’t need to drag it through the snow in the dark.

The bus stop’s bathroom had one singular working light bulb, which made the structure glow in errie orange. It didn’t even reach the gate. 

Luckily, the moon was still breaking through the clouds. 

Quackity looked up at the gate, reading the familiar old sign. 

Manburg Pines

Based on the undisturbed snow, the gate didn’t appear as though it had been touched, suggesting that he’s either the first or last one to arrive. 

Before opening it, Quackity ran his hand through the powder, watching as it fell to the ground. 

Satisfied with himself, the boy opened the gate and stepped through, closing it behind him. 

As he walked down the path, the wind gave him a shove, going right through his jeans and making him shiver. 

A bush rustled, and though it was probably the wind, Quackity couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. 

“Hello, is someone there?” He called. 

Thankfully, no answer came back. 

Adjusting his beanie, Quackity continued the walk down the unmarked path. Lucky for him that he’d been going up here since before middle school. 

The large, majestic gate that Mr. Minecraft insisted on keeping soon came into view. 

It looked like it hadn’t been opened, as the lock was still on it. 

A note sat next to the lock. Quackity walked closer to read it. 

_ “Gate doesn’t work, lock froze.  _

_ Enjoy the climb! _

_ -Sap” _

Okay, so clearly Sapnap had been here. At least he had the courtesy to leave a note. 

“Goddammit Schlatt, why can’t you just fix your fancy ass gate…” Quackity muttered as he shuffled over to the wall. 

It still looked easy enough to climb, even with the snow. Flashbacks of playing here as kids with Techno popped into his head as a rush of nostalgia hit him like a truck. 

The moment he touched one of the stones, Quackity immediately regretted leaving his gloves in his suitcase. 

They were easy to grip, but ice cold. 

_ Lets just do this as quickly as possible _

He pushed his legs up and tried to jump for the top, missing the rock and falling ungracefully to the ground below. 

Muttering curses under his breath, Quackity repeated the action, successfully reaching the top this time. 

Before hopping down, he surveyed the area. Nothing out of the ordinary. 

The woods were quite nice at night, provided no bears came out to attack him. 

Quackity shivered at the thought, flinching as a bush rattled next to him. 

Thankfully, it wasn’t a bear. Just a squirrel. 

_ I have some trail mix in my pocket _

Being as still as possible, Quackity reached into his jacket and fished out a few peanuts as a peace offering. 

He knelt down and held out his hand. 

The squirrel seemed to consider it’s options before padding over and stuffing it’s face full of the nuts, scampering off after receiving the reward. 

With a new sense of “fuck yeah I’m the squirrel king,” Quackity continued the walk, thankful for the lights that lit up the path. 

The cable car station was a very small building. It had two benches and only enough walls to keep the mechanism from freezing up. 

A familiar backpack sat on one of the benches. A backpack belonging to Sapnap. 

“Hey Sap, you here? I found your bag!”

No reply. 

“Where the fuck- are you  _ in _ the bag?”

Just as he said this, the bag began to vibrate. 

_ Well hello Sapnap’s phone! _

With a smirk, Quackity reached out and pulled the device from the front pocket. 

“I knew it,” he whispered to himself. 

Of course the call was from Karl. 

His thumb hovered over the answer button. 

“Hey nosey.”

Quackity nearly dropped the phone in shock

“Holy fuck!”

He turned around to be greeted with the mischievous grin on Sapnap’s face. 

“Oh my god you scared the shit out of me asshole,” Quackity exclaimed, giving his friend a shove. 

“It's what you deserve for going through my shit,” Sapnap shot back, returning the shove. 

“Hand it over.”

“Well excuse me for wanting to save your battery,” Quackity said as he practically dropped the phone into Sapnap’s waiting hand. 

“Better get back to him, wouldn’t wanna keep lover boy waiting.”

Sapnap rolled his eyes, but tapped away at his phone anyways, grabbing his bag after returning the device. 

“Oh, dude, you’ll never guess what I found!” 

Sapnap grabbed Quackity by the wrist and pulled him off the path towards the fence. 

“Whoa, where the fuck are we going?” Quackity asked, freeing his wrist and falling into stride behind the taller. 

He paused for a moment, a poster on the wall catching his eye. 

“Hey, what’s this?”

_ “Wanted _

_ Dunn, Samuel  _

_ Wanted in connection with first degree arson, as well as various death threats” _

Sapnap paused and turned back as Quackity investigated the sign. 

“Think he’ll pay us a visit? I wouldn’t mind a little arson, it’s cold up here.”

“Oh shut up, I’m just looking at it.” 

Sapnap rolled his eyes and tugged at Quackity’s wrist again. 

“Come on, let's go, I wanna show you something!” He whined, dragging out the last o in both on and go. 

With minimal complaints, Quackity continued following his friend. 

The fence behind the station overlooked the forest. What appeared to be a shooting range had been built in. 

“So, isn’t this pretty cool?” Sapnap asked, looking at Quackity expectantly. 

“Yeah, it’s so cool,” he replied sarcastically. 

Shooting ranges weren’t exactly his thing. 

“Come on, check these out.” Sapnap gestured to the shotgun resting on the table. “Aren’t they awesome?”

“Uh, awesome? Nah, not really, maybe a little. Why is this even here?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well,” Quackity gestured to the fence. “Why would a ski lodge need a shooting range?”

Sapnap looked at him as though he had just said that triangle was a number in the alphabet. 

“Have you ever met Schlatt’s dad? This is just par for the course with him. Wanna give it a shot?”

He held the gun out and Quackity backed away slightly. 

“Fuck no, you do it.”

Sapnap shrugged and turned to the course. 

“If you say so.”

He took a deep breath and lifted the gun to rest in his shoulder, staring down the barrel. 

The range wasn’t the best maintained, but it would work. 

A few sandbags hung from trees and some bottles and cans were resting on some old metal drums. 

_ Sandbag should be an easy target _

He angled himself to be in line with the furthest one. 

_ Fingers crossed _

The gun went off with a loud bang, the bullet making contact with the bag and getting lodged in the material. 

The cans seemed to taunt him from their spots. 

Sapnap turned and shot at one, knocking it over, then did the same to the other. 

Before he pulled away, he shot one of the closer sandbags. 

He lowered the gun and tried to ignore the minor pain in his shoulder from the kickback. 

“Well, guess you  _ can _ shoot,” Quackity teased. 

“Of course I can, I’m a badass from Texas,” Sapnap declared proudly. 

“Sure, but it’s beginners luck.”

“Luck has nothing to do with this,” Sap scoffed, returning to the shooting position. 

_ Beginners luck, I’ll show him beginners luck _

The bottle in the back had to go. 

It shattered into pieces as the bullet hit it. 

“This doesn’t prove anything, that’s a big ass bottle. Any moron could hit it.”

“Geez Q, you’re such a high maintenance guy.”

A squirrel hopped onto one of the drums, and though tempted to shoot it to make the bastard shut up, Sapnap shot the remaining sandbag instead, hitting it directly in the center. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll admit, you’re actually a good shot,” Quackity said with feigned reluctance. 

“I think you mean the best shot,” Sapnap corrected. 

“Nope, I take it back, you’re shit at this.”

Before he could prove him wrong, the cable car drifted over the gap. 

“Put the gun down, we’re gonna miss the car,” Quackity demanded, leaving his friend behind. 

“Wait, I’m getting good!”

“Get your ass over here before I drag you.”

With a groan, Sapnap put the gun down and followed Quackity back to the station. 

“It’s kinda weird being up here isn’t it?” Sapnap said, trying to fill the silence. 

“Yeah, I can’t stop thinking about it,” Quackity agreed.

He twisted the door knob, but it didn’t turn. 

“Is this another broken lock?” He complained. 

“Oh yeah, Schlatt wants us to keep it shut,” Sapnap suggested. 

“And why would we do that?”

“Keep out strangers. There’s been weirdos here before. I mean, you saw that poster.”

He could see Quackity visibly recoil at this. 

“That’s fucked up.”

“Don’t worry,” Sapnap grinned, reaching into his pocket. “I have the key!”

He stuck it in the lock and turned the knob, swinging in the door and gesturing inside. 

“Ladies first.”

“Oh fuck off bitch,” Quackity scoffed, but still took the offer. 

Sapnap followed him inside, locking the door behind him. 

The cable car still had a little bit to go until it reached them. 

“This must be really hard for Schlatt,” Quackity blurted out. “I mean, it’s hard for all of us, but I don’t know how he’s able to handle it like he does.”

“Tell me about it,” Sapnap agreed. “I’d be a fucking mess.”

The conversation fizzled out at Quackity stepped closer to the barrier. 

“I swear it was closer than this.”

“And to think,” Sapnap said, joining him at the fence. “I could have shown you just how good a shot I am.”

Quackity looked up with a deadpan expression. 

“I will throw you down there.”

“I’d like to see you try, shorty.” 

“I thought I was nosey.”

“That too.”

Quackity flipped him off before turning back to the railing. 

Sapnap wandered the building a little, reading a poster on the wall. 

“Who thinks to build a house near a sanatorium? Rich people are weird,” he said. 

“They’re not that rich,” Quackity called from the railing. “They just bought a mountain, nothing weird.”

As Sapnap walked back to his friend, the cable car finally rolled up. 

“You coming or should I leave you here to do Sap things?”

Sapnap pretended to think for a moment, contorting his face and stroking his chin. 

“Well… I don’t wanna keep Schlatt waiting.”

They both took a seat in the car.

“It’s like a roller coaster,” he exclaimed. 

As the vehicle began to move, Quackity rested his forehead in his hands. 

“Oh god I hope this is the right thing to do.”

“What? What’s that mean?”

“Like, I mean coming back here after what happened. Well, Schlatt seemed excited for this at least,” Quackity explained, looking up from his lap. 

“Oh yeah, absolutely. He hasn’t been this excited in ages,” Sapnap confirmed. 

“Oh thank god. It’s so hard to tell sometimes what he means. I’m just a little anxious.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it Q, it’s a good idea. Maybe we can have some good memories when we leave.”

Sapnap looked over. It was very clear that Quackity was worried. 

He was scrunching his hands up, toying with his jacket, and his lip would be destroyed if he kept on biting it. 

“Hey,” Sap started, getting the other’s attention. 

“Wanna hear how I met Schlatt?”

Quackity shrugged, so Sapnap continued. 

“Third grade, I sat in the front and he sat in the back. We didn’t even know the other existed. 

But the guy sitting next to Schlatt wouldn’t stop snapping this girl’s training bra, so the teacher moved the guy to the front.”

Quackity seemed a little confused.

“And?”

“So she moved me to his seat, and I met Schlatt, and the rest is history!”

-

On the other side of the cable car, George was flipping an envelope in his hands, interrupted by the clanking of the car coming to a stop. 

_ And there goes solitude _

He rose to his feet and walked as slowly as he could to the door. Odd, he couldn’t see anyone through the window. 

_ BANG _

“What the hell!” He yelled, jumping back. 

Someone banged on the door again. 

“Hey, George, over here!”

Sapnap

“What’s wrong with you guys?” George asked, looking through the small window to see Sapnap and Quackity on the other side. 

“The door is stuck you dick, let us out,” Quackity retorted. 

Rolling his eyes, George hit the unlock button so it turned yellow, before taking some steps back to give the others room to exit. 

“Oh thank god, I thought we were gonna be stuck in there forever! Any longer and I may have taken some drastic measures,” Sapnap groaned, being overly dramatic. 

“Like what? Used that thick head of yours to smash the window?” Quackity scoffed. 

Ignoring him, Sapnap walked over to George, taking the letter right from his hand. 

“Hey!”

“Sap!”

“What? Q goes through my things, I go through yours.”

Sapnap examined the letter, George beginning to regret letting them out of the room. 

“Oh gosh, look at this!” Sapnap said as if this was a huge scandal. 

“It seems like Gogy has a thing for team captain Dream Taken. I wonder what little secrets you’ve written in here.”

George glared at him and walked forwards. 

“Dream and Skeppy broke up. We’re kinda a thing.”

“Whoa, tea.”

“No, not really.” George crossed his arms. “It’s actually pretty clear, Skep’s out and I’m in.”

With that, he snatched the letter from Sapnap and stuffed it in the front pocket of his hoodie. 

“Anyways, come on, let’s get out of the snow.”

Sapnap tried to grab Quackity’s wrist, but received a slap instead. 

“Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll wait here for… the next person who comes up.”

_ Damn George, can you be any more obvious? _

“Ooo, Dream?” Quackity teased. 

“What? Well, I mean, whoever I guess,” he explained away, not doing anything to change the others' opinions. 

-

“Why didn’t they make the cable car go all the way to the lodge?” Skeppy complained as Bad held the gate for him. 

“It probably wouldn’t have looked as nice,” Bad answered, closing the gate and picking up the many bags they had. 

“What about a bellboy? They’re rich, they can afford one,” Skeppy continued to complain. 

_ I have all the bags… _

“Ugh, and it’s creepy too…”

“Hang on Skep, we’re almost there.”

A covered bridge ran over a probably freezing creek. Just as they reached the end, something jumped out at them with a yell. 

“Oh my-!”

“Jesus Christ!”

Laughter broke through the fear, an all-too-familiar wheeze. 

“Oh my gosh that was perfect! You should have seen your faces!” Dream managed to say through his laughter. 

“Dream! What the fuck?” Skeppy exclaimed, balling his hands into fists. 

“Language, but seriously Dream, what the heck was that?” Bad added, fixing his glasses so he could see. 

“Dream you’re a jerk,” Skeppy glared. 

“Oh come on, it’s just some harmless fun! What’s the matter Skep? Can give it but you can’t take it? 

I’m just setting the scene, spooky woods, scares, come on guys.”

“The scene? What the fuck is wrong with you?” 

“It’s just a joke, don’t get like this.”

“Like what?” Skeppy asked, putting his hands on his hips. 

“Like this, you always act like this,” Dream said. 

“Okay, listen,” Bad cut in. 

“This weekend’s gonna be hard for all of us. This is different and we all know, so let’s just agree to move on and get along, okay?”

“Bad-“

“It’s all cool,” Dream interrupted. “Let’s not make it weird, I get it.” 

“Okay, so we’re okay?”

“Yeah, we’re good.”

“So what?” Skeppy asked. “You gonna go make out in the woods now?”

Dream put his hands to his chest. 

“Oh absolutely, we’re so gonna make out!” 

Bad rolled his eyes and shook his head. 

_ That is  _ not  _ happening _

“Okay but for real, I’m heading down to the station,” Dream said. 

“Okay, see you back at the lodge!” Bad smiled as Dream walked past. 

“See ya!”

Bad moved to pick up the bags he’d dropped before they could continue the walk. 

“Ah, crap,” Skeppy groaned. 

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Uh, could you take these the rest of the way up?”

Bad squinted. 

“The bags?”

“Yeah, all the bags,” Skeppy confirmed. 

“Why” 

“I need to find Q.”

“Uh, okay?”

_ This is weird, right? This is weird _

“Look, I’m sorry, I just completely forgot I needed to talk to him before we get there!” Skeppy started raising his voice a little. 

“Are you sure you can’t wait?” Bad asked, not sure he wanted to walk alone in the woods. “We’re almost there.”

“No, it can’t wait, it’s important.” 

“Skeppy, I really don’t think it’s safe to go alone-“ Bad started. 

“Seriously?” Skeppy interrupted. 

“It’s cold, and-and it’s dark…”

“How would you defend me from the dark? You can’t.”

“Look,” Bad said, putting the bags down. “We can just leave it here and go together. No one’s gonna take it, I promise.”

“Oh my god, you can’t leave me alone for ten minutes? I can take care of myself you know!” 

“No, Skep-“

“Why do you never listen to me? Can you not trust me or something?” 

“I’m sorry, I just wanna help,” Bad said, his voice getting smaller. 

“Well then take this shit up to the lodge! I’ll be back later okay.”

“Language, but I guess.”

Bad stepped forwards towards Skeppy, grabbing his hands before he could pull away. 

“Just be safe.”

“I’ll see you at the lodge when I find Quackity,” Skeppy said, letting go of his boyfriend’s hand and heading back down the path. 

-

Further up the trail, Karl was peering through a set of binoculars built into the fence. 

_ Whoa, hold the phone _

He zoomed in on two figures along the trail. 

Dream stood in the middle of the path, standing very close to Skeppy. 

_ Didn’t they break up? _

Zooming in a little closer, Dream seemed to hold his arms out to the much smaller teen. Before Karl could see what happened next, someone tapped him on the back, making him jump. 

“Oh my gosh!”

Two hands grabbed his shoulders before he could do anything. 

“Hey, hey, calm down. I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m so sorry.”

“Geez Louise, Bad!” Karl exclaimed, pushing the hands away. “Don’t sneak up on me!”

“I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to.”

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s fine.”

Karl smiled at Bad, who grinned back. 

The shorter turned to the binoculars and gave them a tap. 

“What’re you looking at? Any cute animals?”

_ Uhhh, no _

“Uh, no, no I actually think it’s broken. I can’t see anything, it’s just all blurry,” Karl lied. 

“Really? Maybe the focus is just messed up.”

Bad pushed forwards a little, but Karl stopped him. 

“It’s really not worth it. It made my head hurt looking at it, and you already wear glasses, so no. No don’t look.” 

The look on Bad’s face said he didn’t fully believe Karl, but he backed off. 

“If you say so. Also, drink some water to help with your head.”

With that, the pair left the little lookout and continued up to the lodge. 

-

Back at the cable car, George was on a bench and browsing Twitter. 

Seemingly out of nowhere, something whizzed past his head, nearly hitting him in the face. 

He jolted and stood up, anger melting away as his eyes landed on Dream. 

“You did  _ not _ just do that,” he said, knowing full well that a snowball had just been thrown at him. 

“Hands up Georgie, you’re under arrest,” Dream replied, bending down to form another snowball. 

“Oh but who am I to strike back?” George asked, playing along and putting his arms up. 

“What other choice do I have but to surrender to the warrior come to take me to prison.”

Walking slowly towards the clearing, he quickly grabbed his own snowball, hiding it behind his back before grinning at Dream. 

“Oh, well uh, I dunno when you put it like that- Hey wait a sec!”

Midway through his sentence, George ran for cover, throwing his weapon at Dream and hitting him on the shoulder. 

Dream went to retaliate but George was already behind a picnic table, giggling to himself as he formed another projectile. 

Dream snuck out from behind a tree, snowball in hand. 

“Oh George, wanna come out of hiding?” He taunted, voice low. 

_ Why not? _

“Giving away” his spot, George peeked out from behind the table, tossing his snowball at Dream. 

“Hey! Oh that’s not fair!” The blond exclaimed, throwing a return shot and nailing George in the shoulder. 

The snow was cold and he could tell his hands were gonna be numb, but it didn’t matter. 

“Hey Dream!” George called, hitting his boyfriend with the snowball the minute he turned his head. 

“Okay, good shot, I’ll give you that,” Dream complemented, shaking off the snow. 

“But no way in hell you’re getting away with it.”

“You can’t hide from me, Dream. I know all your tricks.”

George looked over the stack of wood he was hiding behind, seeing Dream crouching behind a tree. 

_ Almost _

It was easier than he thought to catch him off guard. The second Dream stood up, he was met with a snowball to the chest. 

“George! Oh my gosh, I’m gonna find you!” He threatened, tossing a well packed snowball in his hand. 

“Oh yeah? Then what?” George asked, sprinting across the clearing. 

Dream chased after him, which made him shriek. 

“Okay, okay, no more!” 

“Oh yes more! You’re going down!”

_ Oh shit _

George looked around the clearing. 

_ Where is he? _

Another shriek left his mouth as something pushed against his side, twisting him around so he was lying in the snow. 

Dream had him pinned on his back, legs on either side of him and hands on his wrists. 

“Game over, I win,” he taunted, letting go of George’s wrists and sitting back on his thighs. 

“Hmm, did I go down?” George hummed, lowering his voice. 

He could feel his face heating up and suddenly the cold was the least of his worries. 

“I dunno,” Dream said. “Did you?”

“Oh you’d know if I did.”

Dream nodded, seemingly agreeing. 

“So, did you really win? Or am I the winner here?” George asked, a smile on his face. 

“You’re a worthy opponent, Georgie, but I think I won,” Dream said softly, leaning down and placing his palms on either side of the brunet’s head. 

“You sure about that?” George whispered. 

They were very close. He could feel Dream’s breath on his lips. 

“Absolutely.”

Dream leaned down all the way, meeting their lips together in a quick but passionate kiss. 

When they parted, George let out a sigh. 

“Save at least a little for later.”

“There’s an endless supply,” Dream smirked. 

“We should get up to the lodge.”

“Yeah… but it’s so nice out here though,” George said. “The view is amazing.”

Dream flushed and rolled off of George. 

“I mean, it’s not like I  _ wouldn’t  _ stay out here to make out…”

“Is that all we’d do?”

“Maybe a little something more.”

“Well,” George said, picking himself off the ground and brushing off his back. “We’d probably freeze to death at some point.” 

“Yeah, probably…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, I had so much fun writing this chapter!!!  
> I tried to make it as similar to the source material as I could, while also changing dialogue to better suit the person who's talking (this is most notable with BBH)
> 
> I plan on updating quickly and I really hope you like this chapter!!!


	3. Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lodge was strange, familiar, but strange  
> The woods were strange as well
> 
> And there's this feeling, this creeping nagging feeling, that they're not alone...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note: I am doing my best to follow the story and keep them in character as well. This is incredibly difficult when one of your characters is BBH, the most family friendly creator I've ever seen.  
> He is mildly out of character in this chapter, as if you have seen the Matt/Emily bonus chapter, you'll understand what I mean
> 
> I didn't get to play this chapter since, while I was obsessed with the game at the time, I couldn't buy it before it was released because I was 12 at the time it was released.  
> I hope you enjoy!!!
> 
> Also, this chapter contains major sexual references and consistent suggestive dialogue.

“I feel like this mountain gets bigger every year,” Sapnap said, catching his breath. 

“Yeah? Feels the same to me,” Schlatt replied, arms crossed over his chest. 

“What? Didn’t you grow up here? How isn’t it shrinking?” 

Schlatt shrugged.

“I guess that’s true.” 

Sapnap sighed and held up his phone. 

“How is it that the cable car gets service but the lodge doesn’t?”

“Hey,” Schlatt started. “Give me a million bucks and I can fix you right up.”

“Funny thing, I think I left it in my other jacket.” 

He could practically hear Quackity rolling his eyes. 

The path they were on led to the lodge. Karl was seated on the steps and Bad was sitting next to him, a collection of bags at his feet. 

“Hey folks, make it up alright?” Schlatt greeted with a small wave. 

“Yeah,” Bad replied, standing up with a bit of effort. “Could have used a couple bellboys, but it’s okay!”

“Yeah, it was pretty easy,” Karl added. 

“Creepy though. I mean, it’s pretty weird being back here again.

“Got the key?” Sapnap asked Schlatt as they walked up the steps. 

“Yeah, of course I do,” he said back. 

Sapnap looked at his friend and pursed his lips, the conversation with Quackity coming back to him. 

“You doing okay? I mean, it must be hard up here without the tw-“

“Stop,” Schlatt interrupted. 

“I’m just saying-“

“Nah Nah, I get what you’re saying. I’m good, we’re here for a good time, and a good fucking time is what we’re gonna have.” 

With that, Schlatt turned back to the lock and pushed the key in. 

It rebounded almost instantly, clinking against something inside. 

“For fucks sake!”

“Another frozen lock?” Sapnap asked. 

“What else.”

“Any other ways in?” 

“Yep, problem is they’re all locked.” Schlatt answered, focus still on the lock. 

Sapnap looked out into the snow for a brief second. 

“There has to be a window we can get open.”

“Wait a second.” Schlatt backed away from the lock. “So are you saying we should break in?”

“Well… is it really breaking in if you own the place?”

“Not if I don’t report you.”

_ Okay then… _

Schlatt gave him a smile and a pat on the back, turning the shorter around and gesturing towards the steps. 

“Lead the way.”

Walking back down the steps, Sapnap’s gaze fell on Karl, who was sitting at the foot with his knees to his chest. A smile rose to his face and he quickly walked over to his friend. 

“Hey Karl,” Sapnap greeted. 

“Hi Sap,” Karl replied enthusiastically. 

Sapnap felt his face go a little pink and he scratched the back of his neck. 

“So uh, how are you?”

Karl hummed and gave a shrug. 

“Good, pretty cold though. I’d like a blanket and fire maybe.”

“Yeah,” Sapnap sighed. “That sounds pretty nice.” 

“What’s up with the lock?” 

“Frozen, we’re gonna break in,” Sapnap explained, a mischievous grin on his face. 

“Good luck with that!”

Giving the other a wave, Sapnap turned back to Schlatt, following him around the side of the lodge. 

“So, Karl looks pretty hot don’t you think?” 

Schlatt’s comment completely caught Sapnap off guard. He did a double take as they paused on the path. 

“He’s hiding some fire inside isn’t he? Don’t you just wanna tear his clothes off and take him right there?” Schlatt continued. 

_ Oh great, here we go again _

“Dude, come on.”

“I mean, if you’re not gonna fuck him, maybe Dream will. He’s getting people left and right,” Schlatt teased, raising an eyebrow. 

“Can you back off man?”

“Relax.” Schlatt gave him a clap on the shoulder. “Just checking if everything works. Blood still flowing down there?”

“I mean, yeah…”

“Look around Sap,” Schlatt exclaimed, putting an arm around his shoulder and gesturing to the woods with the other. 

“Do you see any parents? Can you think of a more perfect scenario and all the possibilities? You and Karl, finally alone!”

He removed his arm and held them in front of him. 

“You’ve laid all the groundwork, you’ve been a perfect gentleman. Now, you come in for the kill!”

Sapnap took a deep breath. 

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!”

Schlatt started walking again, so clearly the conversation was over. 

“So how’re we breaking into my parents’ lodge?”

“Wait, I didn’t say I had a plan-“

“Sure sounded like it,” Schlatt said. “Deliver or else we’re all gonna freeze and I highly doubt you’ll get laid.” 

_ Oh my god, shut up about my sex life! _

The rest of the short walk continued in silence, the only sounds being the steady crunching of snow under both of their feet, and the wind that occasionally howled through the trees.

An empty box caught his eye, the outline of where an axe should be was inside. 

_ Where’d this even go? _

Right next to the box sat a large crate. 

“Can we move this?” Sapnap asked, gesturing to the crate. 

“Well look at you finally using that brain,” Schlatt answered, walking behind the crate. 

Together, they pushed the crate. Sapnap could feel the snow making his feet slippery and it’s not like the crate was light in the first place. 

_ This thing weighs a fucking ton _

The moment it was under the window, Sapnap hopped on top, losing his balance for a moment before steadying himself. 

The window was already cracked open. The teen shoved his fingers through the gap and flung it open, nearly hitting himself in the face in the process. 

He peeked over the lip, the drop didn’t seem too far down. 

With no hesitation, Sapnap pushed himself headfirst through the window. Immediately, he realized why this was a bad idea as his back met the floor, nearly knocking the wind out of him. 

“Ugh, shit…”

“You okay?” Schlatt’s voice called from the other side.

His face popped into view through the window a second later. 

“Yep,” Sapnap grunted. “Yep, I’m good.”

_ Fuck me _

“Should have paid more attention in climbing class.”

The look of pure disappointment on Schlatt’s face couldn’t be matched. 

“You mean gym?” 

“Yeah, Y’know, like climb up the rope.”

He stood up and popped his back, which was now incredibly sore. The moment he did, almost as if it was a horror movie, the lightbulb shattered, sending the room into darkness. 

“Did I do that?” Sapnap asked, despite it being clear he didn’t. 

“Nah, I don’t think so.” 

Schlatt reached into his pocket and held out his arm. 

“Use this!”

Sapnap squinted to make it out, but he couldn’t quite see in the dark. Nonetheless, he held out his hand to catch, a small piece of metal landing in his palm. 

He held it up, pure joy spreading across his face as he identified the item. 

A lighter. 

“Don’t start any fires, Arson Man!” 

Bouncing a little with excitement, Sapnap flipped the lid back and turned it on, reveling in the beauty of the flame. 

“No promises!” He joked. 

“Wait, Sap, I just got an awesome idea!” Schlatt said, snapping the other from his minor trance. 

“Hmm? What is it?” 

“Okay, so, if I remember correctly, there should be some deodorant in one of the bathrooms. You could use that with the lighter,” he explained, talking with his hands. 

“Dude, last time I checked, a stick of deodorant isn’t that flammable,” Sapnap deadpanned, very confused. 

“Who said anything about a stick? It’s a spray can.”

The excitement flooded back into his body. 

“Flamethrower? Like when we melted army men?” 

“Yup! Just spray through the flame and FWOSH!”

“No more frozen lock.”

“Exactly!” 

Schlatt turned around for a second, glancing over his shoulder. 

“So, you’ve got this under control, I have to go take care of something. Don’t piss yourself while hunting in the dark.” 

“Hey, like I’m the one with the problem…”

“Whatever, good luck asshole.” 

With that, Schlatt’s face vanished from the window and his footsteps eventually faded out of earshot. 

_ Okay, it’s nothing. Just a little dark, right? _

The room he’d fallen in looked to be the storage room. It had shelves lining the walls, stocked with cans of paint and some cardboard boxes. 

Very clearly not a bathroom. 

When you’re alone in the dark, every shadow feels like it can jump out at you. Every tiny little sound is like a siren blaring in your ears. 

Sapnap was very aware of this as the light from the fire caused the shadows to bounce across the walls and his footsteps echoed through the room. 

Leaving the room behind, his pulse began to race. What was a comforting and homey lodge in the light had become almost Catacomb esc, stone brick walls going up and meeting wooden beams at the top of the tall ceiling. 

A painting of the Minecrafts didn’t help, lurking on the wall and staring at Sapnap. Each of the 6 members looks haunting and eerie. It didn’t help that two of them were dead and one in intensive therapy. 

The floor creaked with each step, the old wooden boards taunting the teen. He looked up and stared down the hall, just in time to catch a door closing on its own. 

“What the hell-“

His voice shook as he spoke out loud to himself.

“Come on Sap, come on. It-it’s probably just the wind. Yeah, yeah that’s it. That’s it.”

His heart felt as though it was going to burst out his chest and his breath was coming in short bursts. The knob was cold under his hand and squeaked when he turned it, the hinges of the door joining in with the knob. 

The furniture had sheets over it, preventing dust from settling as the lodge hadn’t been used since last year. 

Unfortunately, they only spurred on the anxiety Sapnap was feeling, their shadows blocking the light from reaching the darkest corners. 

Luckily, the front door was right there. 

Sapnap peeked through the window, catching a glimpse of Quackity and Karl. 

An evil thought popped into his head and he moved away from the window. 

“WOOOOOOOOOO”

A shriek from the other side proved his prank successful. 

“Haha, very funny Sap,” Quackity’s voice said, not even a hint of amusement in his tone. 

“Aww come on,” Sapnap said as he moved back to the window. “How’d you know it was me?”

“Shouldn’t you be, oh I dunno, trying to get us in?” Quackity asked, completely ignoring the question. 

“I’m working on it, hold on to your dick.”

“Yeah yeah, what does that even mean?”

The moon shed some light through the large front windows, providing more visibility but little comfort. It barely reached the back of the entrance, which unfortunately was where he needed to go. 

The living room was no different, moonlight peering in through the windows. 

Sapnap left the area as quickly as possible, taking the steps two at a time. 

An open window proved to be the source of the wind, which probably closed the door earlier. 

_ Yep, totally the wind _

Finally, after what seemed like forever and a walk down a spooky hallway, the bathroom finally came into view. 

Much like the other doors, the hinges groaned as they opened, revealing the oversized tub that filled most of the room. 

At this point, Sapnap could feel his blood racing through his body, making him feel warm and cold at the same time. His heart beat harder and faster than before as he knelt down next to the cabinet to open it up. 

_ Three, two one _

With a breath, he yanked on the door, pulling it open and bracing himself for something to jump out at him. 

Nothing, just a few canisters. 

_ Oh thank god _

He reached forwards and just had his hands around the deodorant when-

**SCREEEAAA**

What looked like a ball of fur and teeth launched itself out of the cabinet, barely missing Sapnap’s hand in the process. 

He screamed and dropped the lighter, putting a hand on his chest as he tried to calm down. 

“Holy fuck, what the fuck.”

He gave a brief check to the cabinet before grabbing the can as quickly as he could and snatching the lighter from the ground. 

With steps larger than he thought possible, Sapnap raced out of the bathroom and back to the door, not even bothering to turn on the lighter. 

Upon seeing the door and his friends’ faces behind it, Sapnap’s face broke into a thankful grin. He flipped open the lighter and held it up, spraying the deodorant and hitting the knob with the flames. 

_ Now that’s what I’m talking about  _

He swung open the door, not even thinking about the burning of the handle until he touched it. 

“Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week,” he praised himself as he discreetly flapped his hand to cool it off. 

Tiny footsteps behind him sent a shiver down his spine and a yelp out his mouth as the ball of fur burst past him with a growl. 

“Holy shit, that thing freaked me out!” He exclaimed, attempting to defend himself as his friends laughed. 

“What was that? You okay?” Karl asked. 

“A-a bear or tiger or something-“

“Ah come on, it was just a little baby wolverine you pussy,” Quackity taunted. 

“Baby?” 

“Don’t worry man,” Schlatt said, hopping up the stairs. “You’ll be a big boy soon enough.” 

Sapnap’s face went red as the other three walked through the door, Bad following closely behind Schlatt, bags in both his hands. 

“Well, here it is, home sweet home!” Schlatt declared, arms out to show off the interior. 

“Sweet isn’t exactly the word I’d use,” Bad muttered under his breath, plopping the bags down on the floor. 

“Oh my gosh, it’s  _ so good _ to be inside!” Karl said. “Although it’s still cold in here.”

“I’ll get a fire going,” Schlatt offered, walking towards a wood pile. 

“This place barely looks any different,” Bad said to no one in particular. 

“Yeah, no one’s been up here,” Schlatt called. 

Karl furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Even with all the police coming in and out?”

“Not a lot of action up here lately,” Sapnap said. 

“You could say that again,” Schlatt agreed. 

He walked away from the corner with a few logs in his arms. As he was laying them in the fireplace, a voice broke through the silence that had settled in the room. 

“What’s up, party people!” Dream yelled. 

George shot a wave at Schlatt, who gave one back, and greetings were exchanged. 

“Hey! Make yourself at home!” Schlatt said with a smile.

“Will do,” Dream grinned, following his boyfriend and joining him on the couch. 

He lifted his arm and wrapped it around George, pulling him close to his side. George gave a small sigh of contentment and leaned his head against Dream’s shoulder, letting his eyes close a bit. 

Unfortunately for them, the moment wouldn’t last. 

“Oh my god,” Skeppy exclaimed as he finally arrived at the lodge. “That’s so gross.”

_ What the hell? Is it illegal to cuddle my boyfriend? _

“Are you trying to swallow his face whole?” Skeppy continued, crossing his arms and leaning on one hip. 

“Skep-“

“Seriously!” He interrupted Bad. “I mean can he be any more obvious? No one wants in on your territory!”

“Excuse me?” George asked, leaning off of Dream and rising to his feet. “Did you say something?”

“Oh did you not hear me, was your sluttiness too loud?”

“Sounds like someone’s bitter he didn’t make the cut,” George said, advancing towards the shorter boy. 

“Yeah, it’s all a cattle call with  _ that _ dreamboat. Congrats, you’re best cow,” Skeppy retorted, a glare on his face. 

“Oh lovely, calling homecoming king a cow.”

“Hey,” Bad said, stepping in. “You’re making everyone a little uncomfortable, George.”

“Oh what? Are you jealous?” He shot back, hand on his hips. “Is Skeppy too cold for you too?”

“Hey, that’s not what I meant.”

Bad took a step back, closer to Skeppy. 

“That’s uncalled for, look-“

“Whatever,” George scoffed. “I don’t care what you think.”

“Well at least I can think,” Skeppy announced. 

_ Skeppy, shhh, just let it go _

“I got 4.0 bitch, honour roll! Suck on that when you’re trying to sleep your way to a job.”

“Who needs grades when you have all the natural advantages?”

“Oh please-“

“You can’t even buy moldy bread with your ass, fucking hoe!”

“Are you kidding me?” Skeppy asked. “You think that’s insulting?”

“I swear,” George said, turning to Dream. “He has to be on something.”

“George, stop okay?” Bad exclaimed, raising his voice. 

“Stay out of it, this isn’t your fight!” 

“Well it’s my fight isn’t it?” Skeppy stepped up, getting right up in George’s personal space. 

“You really want to fight? I’d probably win.”

“Hey! Stop it!” Schlatt yelled, causing all heads to turn to him. 

“We’re not here to fight are we? It’s not helping, and it’s not what I wanted.”

_ Thank goodness _

“Maybe we just need a break. Dream, why don’t you and George check out the guest cabin I told you about?”

Dream stood from the couch and took a breath. 

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.”

He put a hand softly on George’s shoulder. 

“Wanna go do that?”

“Anywhere without  _ him _ .”

“It’s right up the trail,” Schlatt said as the pair left hand in hand. 

Bad let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

“Well, I’m glad that’s over.”

He turned and knelt down next to Schlatt. 

“So, should we get the fire going?”

“Hey, where’s my bag?” Skeppy asked, stopping any chance of relaxing. 

“What bag?” Bad asked as he stood up. 

“ _ My  _ bag, the little blue one! The one from spring break? Are you listening?”

“Yeah, of course I’m listening.”

“Well it doesn’t sound like you are.” 

Skeppy crossed his arms and started pouting. 

“Oh my goodness Skeppy, maybe you just forgot it!”

“Do you really think I’d forget something?” 

“Well, I guess not.” 

“Well then help me go get it! It’s probably back at the cable car.”

Bad groaned and put his head in his hands. 

“Come on babe. We’ll be back soon,” Skeppy said, much softer than before. 

“Then can we get warm?” Bad asked with pleading eyes. 

“Oh,” the other smirked. “We can get  _ very  _ warm.”

Bad’s whole body flushed and his eyes went wide. 

“O-okay,” he said, adjusting his glasses. 

Skeppy giggled before leading the taller from the room, leaving everyone else questioning their life choices a bit. 

“Well,” Quackity started. “I’m gonna go take a bath.”

With that he excused himself from the room, heading up the stairs he was sitting on. 

-

“Exiled,” Dream sighed as the cold air hit his face. 

“More like sexiled,” George corrected, making Dream groan at his bad joke. 

“How far is this ‘cabin’ anyway?” George asked, hugging his arms around himself. 

“This cabin… is the coziest, most romantic place you’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Dream put his arm around his boyfriend. 

“Yeah, if we ever make it,” George said flirtatiously, slipping out from Dream’s grasp and giving him a smirk. 

“I have a feeling luck’s on our side.”

“Well, play your cards right and maybe you  _ will _ get lucky.”

The door flung open, interrupting the conversation. 

“Hey porn stars, you’ll need these,” Schlatt called, tossing a set of keys in the air. 

“Porn stars?” George questioned, catching the keys. 

“Hey, I’d pay to see it.”

George gagged at this and Schlatt laughed. 

“Hey, I’m sorry to kick you out,” he said. 

“No worries, man,” Dream replied. 

“Oh, I’m sure it’s not,” Schlatt winked. “You’ll find  _ plenty  _ of ways to entertain yourselves.”

“Mmhmm, you have fun with the peanut gallery,” George waved dismissively. 

Schlatt mimed shooting himself in the head, which made Dream a little uneasy. 

Insensitive joke to make. 

“Oh!” Schlatt exclaimed. “I almost forgot. You gotta fire up the generator or else you’ll be wandering around blind.”

“Alright, got it!” Dream said as the other walked back inside. 

“I absolutely think Schlatt was flirting with me,” George said, mischievous look still on his face. 

“Wanna invite him up with us?” Dream joked, reveling on the look of disgust on the shorter’s face. 

George led the way down the icy stairs, feet crunching on the snow. A very pleasing sound to Dream’s ears. 

“Hey, come take a picture!” George called. 

Dream nodded and joined him, taking the phone from George and holding it out. 

George leaned into Dream’s side and smiled softly at the camera. Dream quickly snapped the picture, not wanting to lose this gentle moment. 

“Lemme see!” George begged the minute the flash went off. 

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed the phone from Dream. 

“This is perfect!”

Dream looked at the picture too. 

“You should be a model,” he said. 

“Hmm, keep your photography skills and we can start working on that at the cabin.”

“Noted.”

George led Dream by hand down the path, leaning into his warmth a bit. 

“It’s freezing.”

They walked in silence for a moment or two before George groaned. 

“Skeppy’s an idiot if he thinks he can get between us. Maybe he’ll follow us and a bear will get him.”

Dream nodded. 

“I think you bring out the worst in him.”

“Is that so?”

“Insane jealousy.”

“Well,” George said, grabbing both of Dream’s hands. “You’re mine, so he can suck it.”

The gate sat a few meters in front of them, the path veering off to the power shed. 

Dream let go of George’s hand and walked inside, flipping on the generator and then pulling the cord like a lawnmower. 

The lights flickered on, lighting up the path. 

“Dream! You’re magic!”

Dream smiled shyly and walked to the gate, unlocking it and swinging it open. 

“After you, my darling,” he said with a gesture. 

George rolled his eyes, but walked past, turning on some music to fill the silence. 

“You excited?” He asked as they walked up a set of stairs. 

“Very.”

“It’s like our own little adventure! A sexcapade,” George continued. 

“Why are your jokes so bad?” Dream teased. 

“Well I think they’re funny.”

Dream remained silent, letting whatever song was on George’s phone fill the air as they walked. 

He nearly bumped into George as the brunet had paused in front of a tree. 

“Police tape…” he muttered. 

Dream looked up, shining his flashlight at the tree. Sure enough, yellow ‘do not enter’ tape wrapped around the trunk. 

“From Techno and Wil.”

“Shouldn’t they have cleaned it up?”

“Well,” Dream started. “They never  _ did _ close the investigation.”

“Stop, your freaking me out,” George said. 

Dream gave him a soft smile. 

“Well, I hope wherever they are, they’re at peace.”

“I hope so too.”

An awkward silence fell on the pair as they resumed the trek. 

The wind picked up speed and the climb increased, the hill growing steep. 

A piercing cry, somewhere between a baby, a train, and sounded through the woods, causing both teens to jolt. 

“Did you hear that?” George asked, voice starting to fill with fear. 

“I heard…” Dream trailed off. 

George reached out and clutched his boyfriend’s hand tightly. 

“Let’s hurry.”

_ Yes, let’s  _

A few more steps and the flashlight shone on the path, a fallen tree blocking the way. 

It looked as though it would fall if anyone attempted to climb it. 

“I dunno if we can get up there with the path blocked like this,” Dream stated. 

“Oh there is no way I’m going back there,” George said with disdain. 

“You know what?” He continued, walking into an opening in the hill. “Fuck it, we’re adventurous!”

The opening turned out to be a small tunnel-like cave. Some old wooden railings sat at the edge. George leaned against one, looking out into the cave. 

“I don’t see-“ he was interrupted by a sharp crack, the railing he was leaning on snapping, sending him falling into the cave with a yell. 

“George!” Dream rushed over the ledge, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the brunet pushing himself to his feet. 

“Yep! I’m okay!” He declared. 

“Holy crap, you scared the hell out of me.”

“How do you think I felt!”

“Uhh,” Dream looked for words. “You didn’t hit your head, did you?”

“As far as I can tell, I still have all 6 limbs,” George stated, holding his arms out for example. 

Dream scoffed and rolled his eyes. 

_ Can’t go ten minutes without a sex joke, can you? _

“Can you get out?”

George shook his head. 

“I can’t see anything.” 

“Hang on,” Dream called. “I’m coming down.”

He sat down on the edge and pushed himself down, 

It wasn’t a far drop, but he certainly wouldn’t be able to climb back up. 

“Hey handsome,” George said. “Help me move this cart.”

Dream followed George to where an old minecart sat, blocking the path. 

He pushed it, unable to budge it. 

“Give me a hand?”

George joined him and nodded. 

“One, two, three.”

The cart finally moved, Dream cringing and nearly backing up as the rust covered wheels squealed against the rails. 

_ Well this isn’t how I planned tonight going _

Luckily, the tunnel continued, curling around the corner and further into the mountain. 

Something echoed off the walls, getting louder and sending panic into Dream. 

He didn’t have time to react as another minecart rattled its way down the old rails and into his leg, sending him to the ground. 

George covered his mouth as laughter bubbled out of him. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yep,” Dream groaned. 

“Yep, I’m good…”

“Oh my god, you absolutely ate shit just then!”

George leaned up to help brush the dirt from Dream’s coat. 

“Thank you for that, mr. narrator.”

“Come on,” George said, letting the last of his giggles fade away. “Let’s keep going.”

The tunnel led to a staircase, which only went deeper into the cave. 

Dream turned down the corner, George not far behind him. 

**CREAK**

A beam snapped and fell right in front of them with a loud clatter, narrowly missing Dream. 

They both jumped, George grabbing onto Dream’s arm and pulling it close. 

“I Uh,” Dream cleared his throat. “I don’t think this place is up to code.”

“Yeah, I think we should leave now…”

The tunnel got smaller and smaller, Dream having to duck so as not to hit his head. 

He let out a sigh of relief as the moon broke through the darkness, showing the way out. 

“Oh my god, finally!”

By some sort of act of god, the mine opened up to the path, a sign directing them towards the cabin. 

After a couple more sexual jokes from both of them, the path opened up to a clearing containing a couple picnic tables and a set of drilled-in binoculars. 

“Whoa, look at this!” George exclaimed, excitement edging his voice. 

The brunet jogged over to the binoculars and spun them around to look through. 

“There’s trees, clouds, the cabi-“ he stopped. 

“What?” Dream asked, concerned. 

“I think, I think I saw someone at the cabin.”

“Okay, don’t panic. Let me look.”

Dream bent down to look through, scanning the area but not seeing anything. 

“It’s okay George, your eyes are probably playing tricks on you,” he said, offering some comfort. 

“Yeah, probably,” George agreed, not sounding too sure. 

Dream grabbed the smaller’s hand. 

“Hey, it’s okay. If anything comes out, I’ll protect you.”

“Promise?”

“On my life.”

Dream didn’t let go of his hand as the pair walked through a gate and down some steps, leaving the clearing behind. 

The wind grew stronger, rustling the branches and sending something flying at Dream’s face. 

He yelped, letting go of George to swat away whatever was currently squawking in his face. 

“Watch out idiot,” George laughed, eyes following the bird as it flew away. 

“I was just answering the mating call,” Dream brushed off. 

“Wow, didn’t know you were that easy.”

“Got a lot of love,” the blond grinned. 

_ Holy fuck that was scary _

George started walking again, gesturing for Dream to follow. 

Up ahead, the sounds of water grew louder. Sure enough, the couple was soon crossing a bridge over a stream. 

No sooner had they left the bridge did Dream sigh in exasperation. 

“Dammit Schlatt…”

Another tree blocked the path. 

“Really? Daunted by a tree?” George teased, striding up to the obstacle. 

“Well what do you propose we do?”

“Stand back,” the brunet ordered, anchoring his hands between some roots and pulling himself up. 

“Aww, no one likes a show-off!” Dream called. 

George smirked and hid his hands. 

“You have something on your face.”

_ What? _

Dream quickly wiped his forehead, only to be greeted with a snowball to the cheek. 

“Boom!” 

“Okay, okay,” Dream said, turning around and crouching to form his own for retaliation. 

“If that’s how it’s gonna be-“

He turned around to an empty tree. 

“George? Where’d you go?”

He stood on his toes to look over, panic starting to rise. 

The silence was broken by a sound. An unmistakable scream. 

“George!”

-

Meanwhile, Quackity was kneeling next to the spa-like tub, plugging the drain and preparing for some relaxation. 

“Hey Q!” Schlatt called from downstairs. 

“What?” He called back, a little annoyed. 

“Wanna help get the fire started?”

“Oh uh,” 

_ No I don’t.  _

“I was just getting into the bath!”

“Oh, do you need any help with  _ that _ ?” 

“Very funny, pervert!” 

He turned back to the tub, twisting the knob as hot as it could go. Quackity ran his hand under the water, recoiling at the icy temperature. 

“Okay Schlatt, let’s see if you know how to turn on the hot water in your big ass lodge!”

He turned off the water and padded out of the bathroom. 

Walking closer to the main area, Quackity could hear the others talking. 

“Come on,” Schlatt was saying. 

“How long do you think it’ll take him?” Sapnap asked. 

_ Are they betting on the fire? _

“I bet my best blanket it’s less than ten minutes,” Karl said. 

_ Yup _

“Come on, you can do it!” Sapnap yelled. 

“Yeah, I believe in you!”

“What’re you guys doing?” Quackity called, leaning over the banister. 

Sapnap turned his head and grinned. 

“Betting on how long it’ll take Schlatt to start the fire.” 

Quackity practically skipped down the stairs to join the others. 

“How have you not gotten it done yet?” He asked, plopping down next to Karl. 

“Hey Schlatt, guess what?” Karl grinned. 

“What?” Schlatt asked, clearly getting frustrated. 

“You’re-“ Karl glanced around and covered his mouth. “You’re dogwater.”

He burst into giggles, taking Quackity and Sapnap with him. 

Almost as if it was staged, the tinder finally caught on fire. Schlatt backed off with his arms in the air. 

“What was that you were saying, better stop laughing because I got it going.”

Sapnap gave him a pat on the back and the other two gave him a smile. 

“Oh, hey, I have an idea,” Schlatt said out of the blue. 

“What is it?” Karl asked, leaning forwards on his hands. 

“So, I’m pretty sure we have a spirit board somewhere in the basement.”

“A what?” Karl asked, squinting. 

“You have a spirit board? They never work.” Sapnap put in. 

“No way!” Schlatt exclaimed. “We used to do it all the time. Me and-“ he trailed off. 

_ Oh shit _

“Hey Schlatt,” Quackity said, changing the subject. “The hot water’s busted.” 

“Oh yeah,” he said. “We gotta start up the boiler. It’s in the basement.” 

He turned to Karl and Sapnap. 

“Alright, you two see if you can find the spirit board, I’m taking flatty patty down to start the boiler.”

Quackity shoved him in the shoulder. 

“How am I flat? I got the biggest ass on the planet!”

Karl stood up and dragged Sapnap to his feet. 

“Come on! It’s like a scavenger hunt!”

Sapnap rolled his eyes, but let the taller lead him out of the room. 

Schlatt gestured to Quackity and the pair went down the stairs to the lower level. 

“Hey,” Schlatt said, opening a drawer. “Notice how I sent those two on a mission together?”

_ Does he mean Karl and Sapnap? _

“Sapnap needs to go for it! He’s too scared that Karl’s gonna shoot him down,” Quackity replied. 

“Well, that won’t happen.”

“Which won’t?”

“Well, neither if he doesn’t grow a pair, which he’s not gonna do unless there’s a gun pointed at his head,” Schlatt complained. 

He flicked on a flashlight and turned down the hall. 

“You know, it means a lot that you can back up this year.”

“Any time, we’re all here for you.”

Schlatt went ahead down the stairs, calling back up. 

“Watch your step.”

“I think I can handle steps.”

_ Creepy basement, I don’t like this… _

“Sorry to drag you down into this shithole,” Schlatt said, swinging open the metal doors to the boiler. 

“Just get me hot water and all is forgiven,” Quackity replied. 

“Hold this for me?” Schlatt asked, holding out the flashlight to Quackity. 

He took the light, only to spin around as a sound bounced off the walls. 

“What was that?”

“I didn’t hear anything. Just shine the light here so I can see.” 

_ It was probably nothing  _

Schlatt did some sort of maneuver before backing out grabbing the light. 

“Go hit the switch.”

_ Wow, bossy  _

But Quackity kept his mouth shut and walked over to the box, twisting the key until the light turned red and then hitting the button. 

The boiler rattled to life and a grin spread across Quackity’s face. 

“Hey, high five!” 

Schlatt held up his hand and Quackity slammed his own into it, making a satisfying slap. 

Something made a loud groaning sound, sending a shiver up Quackity’s spine. 

“What was that?” 

“Well that,” Schlatt murmured. “That could be a lot of things.”

His hand crept up Quackity’s arm, tickling it. 

“None of them very nice.”

“Oh my god, shut up,” Quackity jerked away, scratching his arm. 

“Wow, you’re really scared, huh?”

_ I’ll show him scared  _

Quackity widened his eyes and looked behind Schlatt. 

“Schlatt, don’t turn around.”

“Oh really? Think you can prank me?” He asked, not believing the shorter for a second. 

“I’m serious, something’s there,” Quackity whispered. 

Despite the look on his face, Schlatt turned around, only to see nothing. 

Quackity cackled as the other turned back around. 

“I got you! I got you! I fucking got you!”

“Alright, okay dickhead, good one.”

The sound from earlier caused Quackity to stop laughing, eyes going wide. 

“You hear that too, right?”

Schlatt was quiet, moving closer and past Quackity. 

“Schlatt?”

“What?”

“It’s,” Quackity paused to find the word. “It's like a rhythm, regular.”

“Nothing regular about that-“

Quackity grabbed the other’s wrist and frowned. 

“We should check it out.”

“Why?”

“What if it’s a broken pipe or some shit?”

“Probably not.”

“Well if it were me,” Quackity said. “I wouldn’t want to burn the place down.”

The pair crept towards the corner, hearts racing. 

A form jumped out with a yell.

“Oh what the fuck!”

They wasted no time running back, Schlatt in front, Quackity in the back. 

The latter pulled over a folded table, blocking the way slightly and causing whatever was chasing them to trip. 

He ran up the stairs two at a time joining Schlatt at the top and practically slamming himself into the door. 

The handle didn’t budge. 

“Why the fuck is it locked!”

“To keep people out.”

Footsteps had them turning around, a hooded figure standing in front of them. 

“Hey,” it said. 

_ Wait, that sounds like- _

“What the hell?” Quackity exclaimed, watching as the figure pulled off it’s hood. 

“Boom, you just got pranked!” Sapnap yelled. 

“What! Why the fuck would you do that?” Quackity asked. 

“Okay, that was a good one,” Schlatt said at the same time. 

“There’s a shit ton of old movie stuff down here. What was I supposed to do?” Sapnap explained, walking up the steps. 

Quackity growled and turned to Schlatt. 

“Were you in on this, you bastard?”

“No, but I wish I was.”

The two shared a high five as Quackity glowered. 

Sapnap unlocked the door and handed the keys to Schlatt, who locked the door behind them. 

“You know, your prank may have had a _ little  _ bit of humour to it,” Quackity said carefully. 

“What do you mean a little? My joke was great.”

“What joke? You’re dumb prank?” 

“Oh my god,” Schlatt cut in. “You were scared!”

“Wh-“ Quackity stuttered. “I was not!”

“Admit it! You totally pissed yourself!”

“Guys, please!”

Karl sat in the living room, eyes growing wide in confusion as Sapnap walked up the stairs, dressing on monks’ clothing. 

“What in the world are you wearing?” He asked. 

“I think I found my true calling,” Sapnap answered, hands in a praying position. 

“Well,” Karl said, eyes rolling. “Did you at least find the thing?”

Sapnap reached into his cloak and pulled out a box. 

“I don’t disappoint.”

“Okay,” Quackity started, walking backwards towards the stairs. “I’ve had enough scares for one night without a fucking ghost to add to the mix. I’m gonna take my bath.”

Karl pouted while Sapnap gave a wave. 

“Enjoy!”

“I will!” Quackity called back. 

-

Meanwhile meanwhile (back when they first split off), Skeppy was leading Bad out the door and down the path, enraged to the point you could nearly see smoke coming out of his ears. 

Bad stood in front of the stairs, beginning to rethink his life choices in coming up here in the first place. 

“Hello, earth to BBH! You gonna help me or what?” Skeppy called, snapping him out of his mind. 

“Uh, yeah, of course.”

Bad turned around sheepishly and followed after his partner, retracing their earlier steps back down the trail. 

He flipped open the gate and held it open. 

“Here you are, diamond.”

“Why thank you, sir,” Skeppy grinned, stepping through the gate. 

To the left was the binoculars from earlier, the ones Karl said were broken. 

“Hold on a second, I need to check something,” Bad called, stepping off the path. 

Skeppy crossed his arms but obliged, pulling out his phone. 

Bad leaned down a little and looked through the binoculars, a perfectly clear image showing through them. 

_ What did he mean? These aren’t broken _

He backed away and returned to the path, tapping Skeppy on the shoulder. 

“Hey Skep?”

“What?”

“I think we should start this over.”

Skeppy uncrossed his arms. 

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Bad confirmed. “No Dream, no George. Just you and me, enjoying ourselves out here in nature.”

“Oh, so ‘AU natural?’”

“Exactly!”

Skeppy shrugged and started walking down the trail, waving the taller over. 

“I can get behind that.”

The woods were spooky at night. The wind didn’t help, whistling in the trees and sending snow slapping across their bare faces. 

Tiny flecks kept getting stuck in Skeppy’s hair, contrasting against the nearly pitch black colour. 

At that moment, the lights came on, making a bang as the generator seemed to have kicked in. 

Bad gasped and pulled Skeppy close to him on instinct. 

“Oh my gosh, okay, okay.”

_ At least we’re not in the dark anymore  _

Skeppy continued leading the way, veering off the main path when it branched off. 

“This way, come on!”

“Umm, you t-trying to get me somewhere- somewhere private?” Bad asked, starting to get flustered. 

“Hmm, I dunno. Why don’t you come find out?” Skeppy teased, walking a little extra slowly but with an extra bounce. 

He paused about halfway down the trail.

“Hey Bad?”

Bad stopped too, a little concerned. 

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for helping me get my bag. I know I can be a bit of a handful,” Skeppy said, making eye contact. 

Bad felt his heart soften a little. 

“It’s no problem, my love.”

He would give anything to see Skeppy smile like this all the time. 

“But you have to remember,” he added. “There’s more to me than being a lean, mean, luggage lifting machine.”

Skeppy raised an eyebrow. 

“You gonna back that up?”

“All day.”

“What?” Skeppy asked, starting to laugh. 

“All day!” Bad repeat, giggling a little as well. 

“What does  _ that _ mean?” Skeppy asked, continuing down the trail. 

“Like, all day… long,” Bad explained, a little embarrassed. “I was trying to be… sexy.” 

The last word came out barely above a whisper, but Skeppy heard it. 

“That did  _ not _ just come out of your mouth!” 

Bad whined in response and hid his face. 

“Aw no, now I’m embarrassed!” 

The trail led to a clearing with a picnic table. A view of the lodge cast a glow through the window, reflecting light off the snow. 

Skeppy skipped forwards and did a little spin, which made a Bad smile at him fondly. 

“It’s so pretty out here!”

“Wow,” Bad murmured, looking around. “Yeah.”

“And being here with you makes it better,” Skeppy said, running over and grabbing Bad’s hands. 

“Aww, Sgeppy, you’re gonna make me go all red,” Bad replied with no heat in his voice, pulling the shorter in for a soft embrace. 

“Well, maybe I wanna see you all red.”

_ Well mission accomplished mr. flirtatious  _

“You um, have you ever done… done… it… outside before?” 

_ What am I saying? _

_ Oh my goodness what am I saying? _

Skeppy seemed a little surprised, but he didn’t sound like it. 

“Outside of what?”

_ You are gonna be the death of me, aren’t you  _

“Umm, my uh, my car…” Bad trailed off. 

“I like your car,” Skeppy smirked, walking back to the middle of the clearing. “It’s roomy.”

“There’s  _ plenty  _ of room right here.” 

_ To heck with innocence  _

Bad walked over to the picnic table and brushed away some snow. He didn’t intend to actually do anything, just get Skeppy a little riled up. 

It seemed to work a little as he grabbed Bad by the wrist. 

“Uh, maybe we should find a better spot.”

“Is this a spot we can go to or is it a spot I need to find?”

“There are lots of places out here,” Skeppy said, tilting his head towards the path. 

“But I already started clearing this off.”

_ This better work  _

He resumed his task, pushing away more snow. 

_ Oh, that’s why he wanted to move… _

Under the snow lay a carving in the wood. 

A crude heart with the initials “DT+ZA”

“Skeppy, what?” Bad questioned, suddenly feeling insecure. 

“Hey, no JealousBoyHalo, no no no.”

“But, now I feel stupid…”

“Don’t be so sensitive,” Skeppy said, moving forwards and taking Bad’s hand again. “I’m here with you, right now. Fuck Dream.”

_ You get a pass _

The taller looked down at their hands, tan fingers intertwined with his own pale ones. 

“Okay, maybe stupid wasn’t the right word,” he started. 

“And what was?”

“Lucky.”

Bad tilted Skeppy’s head up a little so he could see his eyes, large and dark, like a black hole, pulling him in. 

“Hmm, now you’re getting there,” Skeppy said, punctuating his sentence with a chaste kiss on the lips. 

The smaller walked back to the clearing, leaving Bad with a love struck expression on his face. 

He quickly snapped out of it and followed after Skeppy, stopping him on the small bridge over the creek. 

“So, what’s in the bag?”

Skeppy pursed his lips. 

“Uh, just some clothes. The  _ special  _ kind.”

Bad’s eyes widened. 

“Well why are we waiting here, let’s go!”

Skeppy huffed out a laugh. 

“I didn’t expect  _ you _ of all people to be excited about something so  _ inappropriate _ .”

“Well- just ‘cause I act innocent, doesn’t mean I am,” Bad explained. 

“Oh trust me, if anyone knows you’re not innocent, it’s me.” 

_ Oh yeah  _

“Let's just get your bag.”

They walked in a comfortable silence for a couple minutes, just enjoying the other’s company. 

The path split into two ways, one leading to an old totem pole and the other continuing down the path. 

“Yo, check this out!” Skeppy exclaimed, dragging Bad to the totem. 

“Look at those teeth! I dare you to stick you hand in it!”

“What?” Bad recoiled. “Why would I do that?”

“What are you, scared?” Skeppy taunted, slowly moving his hand closer to the mouth of the pole. 

“It’s just one, two, AHHHH!”

His arm was pulled inside the structure as he screamed. 

“Oh my gosh! Hang on!” 

Bad moved as quickly as he could and wrapped his arms around Skeppy’s waist, pulling him back with as much effort as he could. 

Strangely, it didn’t take much effort to do so. 

Skeppy was laughing as he was “rescued,” Bad’s face growing hot. 

“It was a troll! Oh my gosh, that was amazing!”

“Skeppy! I was worried about you!” Bad yelled. 

“Aww come on,” Skeppy smiled, placing his hands on Bad’s shoulders. “Lighten up a bit. It was funny.”

“Okay, I guess it was…” the other admitted. 

**WRAAAH**

“What was that?” Skeppy asked, frantically glancing around. 

“Don’t worry,” Bad said, voice betraying his fear. “I-it was probably just an animal.”

_ What animal makes that sound? _

“I don’t like this, I don’t like this! Bad, I don’t like this!” 

“Do you want me to go first?” He offered. 

Skeppy nodded, giving the taller a slight push. 

The other path led to a small drop. Bad hopped down and then held his arms up to assist Skeppy. 

“Thanks.”

Each step away from the lodge brought more and more fear to the atmosphere. 

Skeppy was visibly starting to shake and Bad was no better, only he tried to hide it a little more. 

Something started to smell bad. Something rotting. 

_ What the- _

“Bad… what is that?”

He looked up and brushed a bit of snow from his glasses. 

In front of him sat a decapitated pig’s head on a stake, wrapped in barbed wire with a note reading “welcome back” nailed underneath it 

“Well someone’s doing arts and crafts,” Bad said, trying to make them feel better. 

“This wasn’t here before.”

Bad pocketed the note and took a deep breath. 

“It has to be Sapnap, or maybe Schlatt. Someone’s messing with us…”

Skeppy shook his head. 

“Not cool.”

“I don’t like this,” he added, linking hands with Bad. 

“Me neither.”

**SLAM**

The lights went out, blanketing the couple in darkness. 

“I don’t wanna be here anymore,” Skeppy whispered, voice cracking a little. 

“Me neither,” Bad said, tightening his grip on Skeppy’s hand before turning around and running back down the trail. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you enjoyed this!!!
> 
> I'm sorry it's a little choppy, it's difficult to make the walking parts interesting since the story is so slow and a lot of the filler dialogue makes me cringe.
> 
> This is honestly so much fun to write and I'm so excited to write some more.
> 
> Feel free to leave me questions about the story or the video game, I love interacting with my readers :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading  
> I will be trying to update soon, but I'm attempting to balance college classes as well as writing to hopefully I don't sideline either of them


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